Owen Daniels won’t be activated this week

Posted by Josh Alper on December 12, 2013, 2:37 PM EDT

Reuters

Texans tight end Owen Daniels is running short on chances to come back from injured reserve.

Daniels was eligible to return to the active roster for last week’s game against the Jaguars, but the short week before a Thursday game didn’t leave him much time to practice and make sure he was ready to go after fracturing his fibula. They have had ample time to prepare for the Colts this week, but the result isn’t any different.

Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com reports that Texans interim coach Wade Phillips said Thursday that Daniels will not be activated for this week’s game. Phillips said he thought Daniels would still play again this season, although it’s probably still fair to wonder if Daniels will come back to play for a team that’s lost its last 11 games.

Daniels’ continued absence could leave the Texans with an issue at tight end. Garrett Graham, who has been targeted often since Daniels has been out of the lineup, missed practice on Thursday with a hamstring injury. Jake Byrne, who backs up Graham with Ryan Griffin, has also been dealing with an illness this week.